New Delhi [India], September 22 : Low-income telecom users will get more affordable and flexible recharge choices for voice calls and SMS, with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandating telecom service providers to offer shorter-validity voice-and-SMS-only plans with appropriate tariff reductions.
TRAI, in its Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, said the move will give consumers who do not need bundled data more options to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity.
Under the new framework, telecom service providers will have to offer voice-and-SMS-only STVs with an appropriate reduction in tariff for validity periods corresponding to each validity period of 30 days and less than 30 days for STVs currently offered for voice, SMS and data.
The regulation also requires operators to provide a voice-and-SMS-only STV that can be renewed on the same date every month. If the corresponding renewal date is not available in a particular month, the renewal will take place on the last date of that month.
In addition, telecom operators will have to offer at least one voice-and-SMS-only STV with a validity longer than the shorter and monthly validity options, corresponding to the validity period of STVs offered for voice, SMS and data.
TRAI said, “The Authority is of the view that such a tariff framework would sufficiently address consumer requirements. This amended regulation will provide low-income consumers with more options, allowing them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity”.
In an official statement, TRAI said it had observed that after the implementation of the Telecom Consumer Protection (Twelfth Amendment), 2024, there was limited availability of voice-and-SMS-only STVs in the market.
The available plans were largely concentrated on longer validity periods, which deprived low-income consumers of affordable shorter-duration options.
TRAI said the amended tariff framework is intended to provide consumers with more choices and allow them to recharge according to their requirements and financial capacity.
The regulator said the move will particularly benefit low-income consumers and users who do not want to purchase telecom plans bundled with data services.
The amendment is expected to improve the availability of voice-and-SMS-only options across different validity periods, giving consumers greater flexibility in choosing recharge plans based on their usage and affordability.
TRAI said the new tariff framework would sufficiently address the requirements of consumers seeking voice and SMS services without bundled data.